Though she has been bothered by a sore back recently, it was common for Pikus-Pace to skip training sessions this season if she felt comfortable. She did not come to Sanki Sliding Center here for training in November and is the kind of racer who overthinks the more runs she has on a track. She finished second in the World Cup points standings and won four of eight races.

She took her two training runs on Monday, and she likely will skip her the final two training runs on Wednesday before the four-heat competition spread out over two days begins on Thursday.

Pikus-Pace likes the track. The length plays to her strong suit – she is not great at the start but is a strong driver, gaining time on the fast, bottom half of the track. She won the World Cup event on this track last year.

Watch out for American Katie Uhlaender, too. Finally recovered from a concussion sustained in training early in the season, Uhlaender, who finished second here last year, said this is the best she has felt all year. Some of her training times this week have been top-five.